Just an Ordinary Day
by NaomiMiller
Summary: Series of short stories based off of the prompt from OwlKin: Missing mundane scenes of life in the castle. Weapons with bed head, Riders who aren't feeling so hot after a long night, pranks, horses, and royalty galore! Just an ordinary day at the castle in Sacor City.
1. A Bad Hair Day

**A/N: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belongs solely to the wonderful Kristen Britain.**

Prompt: A Weapon with Bed Head

Some days Sergeant Brienne Quinn of the Black Shields truly hated her unruly hair. Today was one of those days. No matter what she did, her short, dark, curly hair simply refused to cooperate. She could brush it a thousand times and pour just as many of those oily hair concoctions on her scalp ad her stubborn hair would still be pointing in all sorts of crazy directions. Brienne sighed, if she didn't have that little shred of vanity niggling in the back of her mind she'd have simply chopped it all off and been done with it. Finally just giving it up as a lost cause, Brienne straightened her uniform and headed for the practice yards where she had a session with Drent this morning. This certainly was not an auspicious start to her day.

When she reached the castle's practice yards, Brienne found Drent waiting for her along with Willis and Donal. The matching gleam in her fellow Weapons' eyes when they saw her did little to improve her mood.

"Nice of you to join us this morning Sergeant Quinn," Drent drawled as she reached them. Brienne could easily sympathize with Karigan's strong dislike of the arms master this morning.

"I'm sure she had a good reason for being late this morning," Willis said, giving her rumpled hair a suggestive glance. Brienne just glowered at him. Willis stood there with a subtle smile playing at his lips.

"There are no good reasons for being late," Drent growled. Apparently she wasn't the only one in a foul mood this morning. Although, Drent was always in a foul mood. That just seemed to be his base line.

"Right then, Brienne and Willis, let's see what you've got this morning."

Willis and Brienne stepped into the practice ring, drawing their blades.

"Have a good night?" he asked her with a wink as they took their stances.

"I did actually, but you're not about to have a very good morning," she shot back, giving him a wicked grin that wiped all traces of his previous mockery off of his face.

"Begin!" Drent called.

Brienne launched into her attack without preamble. Willis met her sword with his and the resulting _clang_ echoed across the early morning practice yards. The sounds of their blades meeting in their deadly dance soon filled the morning air. Their boots stirred up a fine cloud of dust and despite the cool morning air they were both soon coated in a sheen of sweat. They began to collect an audience as more people started to arrive in the yard and stopped to watch the two Weapons.

Brienne's only focus was on disarming her opponent. She kept a steady barrage of blows coming at him so that he barely had a chance to get a blow in himself. They continued this back and forth for several more minutes before Brienne saw her opening and seized it. Before Willis knew what was happening, his sword went flying and he found himself on his stomach in the dirt with his arms pinned behind his back. Brienne's sword was pointed at the back of his neck.

She leaned forward and whispered, "Did _you_ have a good night?" She felt him laugh beneath her and grinned as she let him go and got to her feet.

Willis stood and gave her a roguish smile, "I had an _excellent_ night."

**A/N: By now you all should know the drill, but I'll say it anyways. I would love to know what you think. No really, I would love to know. Please leave me a message after this note.~ Naomi.**


	2. A Long Night

**A/N: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain.**

**Prompt: A hungover Rider is force fed some version of castor oil.**

Fergal Duff was dying. At least, that's how he felt. He really should know better by now than to go out drinking with Tegan and Garth. The two Riders could hold their combined weight and then some. He didn't know how they did it. He had seen both of them this morning looking all bright and cheerful. Garth had even had the nerve to be whistling in the hallway. He thumped his head forward on his arms on top of the table. There was a very distinct possibility that his head may just shatter into a thousand pieces, the pounding in his head was so fierce. Fergal groaned.

Someone chuckled and set their plate of food down on the table as they sat across from him. Fergal winced as the sound clanged around in his skull. He lifted his head to glare at the offending person and found Karigan sitting there, chewing on a piece of bacon.

"Morning, rough night?"

Fergal simply looked at her.

"You went out with Tegan and Garth again didn't you?" she asked with an ill-concealed grin.

Fergal merely grunted in affirmation as he placed a hand on either side of his head to hold it together.

Karigan chuckled again as she shook her head at him, "You really sh-"

"Should know better by now, I know," he moaned, cutting her off.

She eyed him speculatively for a moment before catching one of the passing kitchen maids and asking her for something he didn't catch. A moment later, the girl reappeared with a steaming mug. Karigan took it from her with a nod of thanks before shoving it at Fergal. He smelled the distinct bitter smell of Kauv, the drink from the Cloud Islands that was popular with the nobles. Some of his fellow Riders enjoyed it, but he had never quite developed the taste for it. He didn't know why Karigan was offering him some this morning.

"Drink," Karigan said, nodding at the mug. Fergal's stomach roiled at the smell of the drink.

"I can't," he said, pushing the mug away. Karigan pushed the mug back and fixed him with a look that he was very familiar with, having seen it many times when they were on the road.

"Drink."

Fergal just looked at the mug, hoping his stomach would continue trying to climb up his throat.

"If you don't drink, I'll get Fastion here to help me pour it down your throat."

Fergal jumped, he hadn't even realized that the Weapon was now sitting next to him. He glanced over at the imposing man who merely arched an eyebrow at him. Realizing he was not going to get any support from Fastion, Fergal turned back to Karigan resigning himself to the fact that he was outnumbered. Even if it was just Karigan, he'd have still been outnumbered.

"Drink up," she said, her mirth written all over her face.

"You're evil, you know that right?" he said, taking hold of the mug.

Karigan just grinned, "Trust me, you'll be thanking me for it later. Go on, bottoms up."

Fergal grimaced as he raised the mug to his lips and drank. The hot liquid and acidic taste scorched his mouth. He slammed the mug on the table as he coughed and sputtered and tried not to gag. Fastion slapped him on the back while Karigan sat there eating her breakfast. Knowing his fellow Rider wouldn't be satisfied until he had consumed the whole mug, Fergal braced himself before tossing the rest of the vile concoction down his throat. He slammed the mug back onto the table with a hollow thud as he valiantly fought to keep his stomach from revolting against him.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Karigan said, grabbing another plate of food from a nearby kitchen maid. She set the plate down in front of him, "Now eat something, so that your face will stop matching your uniform."

**A/N: So I know coffee isn't exactly a gross alternative to castor oil, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else. Thanks to emmalilly5 for helping me figure out what it was called in the books. As always I would love to know what you think. Leave me a message after this note.~ Naomi**


	3. A Hot Day

**A/N: My muse kind of ran amok with this one, but oh it was so much fun to write. A bit of K/F fluff because my muse refused to be denied by the slow-moving plot of my other K/F fic. DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain. Enjoy! **

Karigan was sweating rivers. It had to be the hottest day of the year so far, so of course Drent insisted on arms training in the middle of the day when there was nowhere to hide from the sun. Karigan was stripped down to breeches, boots, and a tunic she had torn the sleeves off of long ago. Her hair was hastily coiled at the nape of her neck. She could feel a few loose strands sticking to the back of her neck.

She and Fastion circled each other, swords at the ready. The Weapon had shed his tunic several minutes ago and was sweating just as profusely as Karigan was.

"Well don't just stand there, have at it," Drent growled at them. Fastion and Karigan shared a look. He arched an eyebrow at her in question. Karigan gave him a one-shouldered shrug. He sighed then stepped in and attacked. Karigan brought her own sword up to meet his. After being out here for nearly an hour and sweating buckets, his blow nearly sent her sprawling backwards in the dirt. As it was, she still stumbled back a step or two. Luckily her muscles were fairly used to catching her by now, so she recovered quickly. She tossed him off before launching into her own offensive. Even with the heat and the exhaustion, she still reveled in the fine dance of swordplay they were engaged in. Despite the impression she gave, she really did enjoy these sessions. They were even worth having to put up with Drent.

Fastion quickly put her back on the offensive as they moved around the ring. She could feel Drent's eyes on her as she had her back to him. She and Fastion switched roles back and forth for a while until Karigan somehow found herself with her arms raised over her head ready to strike with Fastion's sword tip in her stomach.

"Dead again," he panted. Karigan was bewildered. How had he gotten that one in through her defenses? She dropped her own sword tip to the ground and wiped the sweat off her face with one hand. The arms master eyed them critically for a moment. Karigan felt a moment of dread when his gaze seemed to settle on her.

"Rider G'ladheon, do you have something on your mind that's more important than your life?" Drent asked her.

"No."

"Then start paying attention! If this had been a real fight you would've been dead half an hour ago. There's absolutely no excuse for it," he said. Karigan thought she had given it her full attention, but she resisted the urge to tell Drent as much and in less than pleasant terms. That would only earn her some new form of torture next time.

"That's enough for today," he continued.

Karigan and Fastion wordlessly nodded as they sheathed their blades.

"Now go on with the both of you."

They wasted no time in gathering their things and leaving the practice yards. They quickly found a shady spot by the nearby river to sit and catch their breath and ease their tired muscles before making the trek back to the castle.

"Gods above it's _hot_," Karigan said flopping back onto the grass beneath the trees. Due to the heat, they were the only ones out here as the castle grounds were nearly deserted.

"That it is," he agreed taking a swig from the waterskin he had brought with him. He offered it to her and she gratefully accepted it. At this point she didn't care if it wasn't much cooler than the outside air. It was water. She drank her fill then passed it back to him. Fastion put the cap back on and set it aside.

Karigan wasn't entirely certain she was going to be able to get up from her current spot as she felt her body to relax as her heart rate and breathing returned back to their normal paces. Her shirt still stuck to her uncomfortably though and she felt rather sticky and disgusting. She could go for a cold bath right now, however she really didn't feel like going anywhere. She unfastened her sword belt to get more comfortable and kicked off her shoes so she could stretch her cramped feet.

"Planning on staying awhile?" Fastion asked her, looking over from where he was leaned back against one of the trees.

"Why not? There's nothing else to be done this afternoon and I don't know about you, but I'm not particularly inclined to go anywhere at the moment," she said.

"Good point," he agreed, divesting himself of sword belt and boots as well. "I can't ever remember it being this hot, not even during my training on Breaker Island and I was there in the dead of summer."

"I can't ever remember it being this hot either."

"Back home, growing up every kid in the village would have been in the lake by now," he said. Karigan paused from where she was idly twining grass blades through her fingers. This was the first time she had heard her friend speak of his life before he joined the Weapons.

"Was it a big lake?"

"It was, you could just barely make out the opposite shore on the horizon. Most of the time it was just a hazy outline in the distance. As soon as my dad let me off from the forge, myself, my two younger brothers, and my younger sister would all make a mad dash through the village and down to the shore. One of the popular games was to try and speculate on just how deep the lake really was. On a good, still day you could see clear to the bottom. And god it was cold. It was fed from the rivers that ran down from the nearby mountains.

Karigan smiled at his description. "Sounds like when I was a child growing up in Corsa. Every summer, my cousins and I, we'd all disobey my aunts and go down to the end of the wharves where all the sailors, dockworkers, and townspeople were swimming. A lot of times the sailors who were still on the wharves would grab us up and throw us in. A majority of us often ended up being sick from swallowing too much sea water, we were laughing so hard when we hit the water. After a while my aunts would notice we too quiet in our rooms and they would show up and drag us back home."

Fastion laughed, "I could see you doing something like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Karigan said, pretending to be offended.

"Nothing, other than it doesn't surprise me that you were just as much of a headstrong trouble-maker growing up as you are now," he said with a grin. Karigan pushed herself upright.

"I don't make trouble, it just seems to have a bad habit of finding me," she protested.

"Oh does it?" he said getting to his feet. Karigan forced herself to her feet as well as all of her muscles groaned in protest.

"Yes it does. Believe me, I've had more than enough of trouble to go looking for it," she said as he came to stand in front of her. Karigan found herself staring at the tops of his bare shoulders as he had never put his tunic back on. He was standing so close to her she could feel the heat radiating off of him. She looked up at him and he grinned mischievously at her.

"Good, then you won't be looking for me to do this," he said. Before Karigan could ask what he meant by that, she found herself hauled up in his arms. He covered the distance to the broad river in three easy strides. Karigan screamed as he plunged them both in the icy water. The shock of the cold water knocked the breath from Karigan's lungs and she came up gasping for air. She had to admit that the water did feel amazing. Fastion surfaced next to her with a grin.

"You see what I mean about trouble finding me? I was all prepared to go back to the castle, but instead you dumped me in the river," she said, shoving him lightly. Fastion laughed, wiping the water out of his eyes.

"I still say you make the trouble," he bantered back, moving out of her reach.

"Some friend you are," Karigan said, splashing him instead.

He crooked an eyebrow at her, "See what I mean? That's asking for trouble right there."

She grinned, "Oh is it?"

"It is," he said splashing her back in response.

Karigan laughed and launched a counterattack. Soon, an all-out war was started as the two enjoyed the cool water of the river and a much needed break from the daily grind of working in high-stress jobs. Karigan's delighted screams mingled with Fastion's bellowing laughter. She had never seen the Weapon so carefree before. The battle finally ended when Fastion got close enough to plunge Karigan under again.

"Truce! My arms can't take any more today," she said laughing once she came back up. Fastion chuckled as she started making her way back towards the bank. He followed right behind her.

When the water was about to the middle of her thighs, Karigan saw the perfect opportunity for her revenge. She turned to face Fastion who had to stop suddenly to avoid crashing into her.

""By the way," she said, "Revenge is best served cold." Before he could react, Karigan pushed him hard in the chest so that he went toppling back into the water. She was in hysterics as he came spluttering back to the surface. His face had been priceless.

"See if I trust you again trouble-maker," he muttered good-naturedly as he got back to his feet. Karigan laughed until she looked up and saw the way he was suddenly looking at her. He had a rather peculiar look on his face and Karigan suddenly realized that her wet clothes were rather…fitting. They clung to every inch of her body. She could feel the tendrils of hair that had escaped from her ties clinging to her neck and shoulders. She was probably scarlet under his gaze.

Although she had to admit, he wasn't too hard on the eyes in his current state either. Sure, she had thought him handsome on a number of occasions, but having seen him laugh and joke and now this? This was something else entirely. With the rivulets of water running down his bare chest and droplets glistening in his dark hair, he looked more like one of those characters from the books Mara was always reading. Suddenly Karigan felt rather warm, and not just because of the weather.

He closed the gap between them with a single step, the water swirling around them.

"Karigan," Fastion said, hooking a finger under her chin and tilting her head up. Her heart started pounding when her blue eyes met his grey ones. Before she could think any more about what was happening, he leaned down and kissed her.

She froze briefly in surprise before responding and looping her arms around his neck. Kissing Fastion was certainly not something she had anticipated doing this morning. It was one of life's more pleasant surprises.

He dropped his hands from her face and placed them on her waist, dragging her closer as he deepened the kiss. It had been a very long time since anyone had made Karigan feel like this.

They hastily broke off when someone cat-called at them from the bank. They looked over to see Tegan standing there wearing an ear-to-ear grin. Karigan groaned, she was never going to hear the end of this.

"Much as I hate to break this lovely scene up, but the Captain wants you Karigan," she called.

Karigan sighed, "Alright." She and Fastion slogged out of the river, wringing their clothes out as best as they could before pulling on their boots and belting their swords back on. The whole time Tegan stood there looking like a child who had just been given a new toy.

"I imagine I'll see you later," Fastion said, tugging his tunic back over his head. Karigan could feel herself blushing furiously again.

"Yes, we definitely to talk." He laughed before he headed back in the direction of the castle. Karigan watched him go before turning back to Tegan.

"Don't," she warned her fellow Rider for all the good that she knew it would do her.

"I was just going to say that I don't think your dip in the river cooled you off enough. You're still a little red in the face."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this am I?"

"Tegan gave her a wicked grin, "Never."

**A/N: Again this was so much fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. As always I would love to know what you think so leave a note after this message~ Naomi**


	4. A Perfect Stalker

**A/N: This is going to be good. DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain. Enjoy!**

Prompt: Rider gets anonymous love letters/ fan mail

Ty opened the door to his room in the Rider Wing ready to change out of his wet and muddy uniform after returning from a message run. It had been absolutely pouring on him for the last day and a half. As he stepped into his room, however, he noticed a folded piece of parchment on the ground by his feet. Frowning, he bent down and picked it up. He kept his quarters neat and organized so he knew that certainly hadn't been there before.

He flipped it over to see his name scrawled on the front in a feminine script. There were no other markings on it. He broke the wax seal and unfolded it and promptly choked when he read the contents

_I enjoyed watching you in training before you left and I must say, you look quite fetching when you're soaking wet. You are very handsome._

_~x_

Ty dropped the parchment on his desk and stumbled out into the hallway, looking for anyone who could have left the letter. He spotted Daniel, one of the new Riders, coming towards him.

"Daniel, have you seen anyone near my room recently?" he asked the young man.

Daniel shook his head, "No, sorry, can't say that I have." Ty was bewildered as Daniel walked off. Never in his life had he ever received such a thing. He glanced up and down the hallway once more before stepping back into his room and eyeing the strange bit of parchment like it might leap up and bite him. Maybe it had been meant for someone else. He just shook his head as he went to change into a clean uniform.

That letter was the first of many that Ty received over the coming days and weeks. He would find them slid under his door, tucked into a book he had been reading, left on his saddle, tacked onto Crane's stall door; he even found one hidden under his pillow, which had thoroughly freaked him out, knowing that someone had gotten into his rooms. They all said the same things.

"_You and Crane looked good today. I love how your hair catches the sunlight." _

"_Your favorite smell is fresh-cut hay, so is mine. We'd be so good together."_

_I _They got progressively creepier to where the last one (the one under the pillow) read :

"_You're so good with children. I can't wait to give you some." _They were all signed "_X."_

By now Ty was nearly frantic in his efforts to find whoever was behind this and to put a stop to it. He could hardly sleep at night for the fear that whoever his creepy stalker was would come in while he was sleeping. By the end of the third week, he was at his wit's end. If he didn't find this person soon, he was likely to go crazy himself.

He was sitting in the common room with the letters spread out around him, looking for clues when Garth walked in. The big man walked around Ty and sat in one of the unoccupied armchairs. When he saw what Ty was working on, he laughed.

"Have you still not found your mystery woman yet?" he asked Ty, grabbing up an unattended bag of Dragon Droppings from a nearby table and popping one in his mouth.

Ty sighed. By now his mysterious letters had become a favorite subject of his fellow Riders. They loved speculating about who could possibly be behind them, especially when he was around to hear it.

"No, I haven't figured out who's behind it yet." Ty stared at the pile of letters in front of him. He had examined them so many times that he could probably recite them from memory.

"Does the handwriting look familiar at all to you?" he asked Garth as he flopped back in his chair and gestured at the letters. Garth leaned forward and picked up one of the letters. He examined it carefully before he shook his head and put the letter back on the table.

"Sorry, doesn't look familiar," he said as Tegan walked through the door. When she spotted the letters spread out on the table, she grinned. Ty groaned. No one enjoyed teasing him about the letters more than Tegan.

"Still haven't found your dream woman yet I see," she said perching herself on the arm of Garth's chair and stealing the bag of Dragon Droppings from him. Ty gathered the letters back up into a neat stack and tucked them under his arm as he stood. Garth and Tegan were now engaged in a wrestling match as Garth tried to get the bag of chocolates back from her.

"Well you two are certainly no help," he huffed, leaving the room.

Tegan and Garth looked at each other after he left.

"Did you…?" he asked her. When she nodded they both forgot about the chocolate and scrambled for the door. They arrived there just in time to peer around the corner as Ty reached his door. Another letter had been tacked right in the center of it. When he saw the letter he went pale and snatched it off the door before darting into his room and slamming the door behind him.

Tegan and Garth stumbled back into the common room where they collapsed back into their chairs completely helpless with laughter. The two Riders howled with laughter until they were red in the face and their sides felt like they were going to split open.

"Are you ever going to tell the poor man?" Garth gasped once he could breathe again. Tegan sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Eventually, but for right now I'm having too much fun."

"So what did this one say?"

Tegan shrugged, "I believe it was something along the lines of how she always did enjoy watching a man sleeping and how she couldn't wait until they were together." There was a pause as they both took a moment to savor this information before they both collapsed into roaring fits of laughter again. Captain Mapstone walked in at that moment, took one look at them, and just shook her head.

"I don't even want to know."

**A/N: Oh Tegan and her shenanigans. I had an absolute ball writing this chapter! You should know the drill by now, but I'll say it anyways. As always I would love to know what you think so please leave a message after this note~ Naomi**


	5. A Friendly Conversation

**A/N: Two friends catch up. Not the most spectacular chapter, but I like it. DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place you may recognize belong solely to Kristen Britain. Enjoy!**

Prompt: A friendly chat between Laren and Elgin

Laren was taking a break from her duties as Captain by spending some long overdue time with Bluebird. She had been ignoring her gelding for far too long. Her duties kept her away more than she cared to think about. Bluebird was overjoyed to see her and Laren immediately felt guilty as he put his head over his stall door and nickered at her.

"I know, I know, I haven't been down here in a while," she said, rubbing her gelding's head. Bluebird snorted in agreement. Laren gave her horse an affectionate slap on the neck as she went to the tack room to retrieve one of the boxes of brushes kept there. She carried it back to Bluebird's stall and let herself in.

Bluebird nuzzled at her pockets, looking for treats. Laren shook her head as she took out one of the peppermints that she kept there.

"You know me too well," she told her horse as he happily lipped up her offering and nudged her for more.

"That's all you're getting for now." Laren picked up the currycomb and started in on the patches of mud that spotted Bluebird's gray coat from his adventures in the pasture last night.

"You certainly enjoyed yourself last night it seems," she said to him. Her barely flicked an ear at her as his head drooped and his eyelids hung at half-mast . Laren chuckled as she leaned into the currying.

She had moved onto the dandy brush when she became aware of someone standing in the doorway. She looked over to see Elgin standing there.

"I went looking for you in your office and when you weren't there, I figured I would find you here," he said. "Getting back to the basics?"

"Something like that," she said flicking the dirt off of Bluebird's coat with short, quick strokes of the brush. "I just needed a break for a while. If I have to read one more report or sit in one more meeting, I'll scream."

Elgin chuckled as he picked up a comb and started in on the gelding's mane. "The joys of leadership."

"Tell me about it and you should know."

He nodded, "That I do."

"Speaking of which, how are the new Riders coming along?"

"They're coming along pretty well actually. Don't tell them I said that. Once you get the concept of taking things seriously through their thick skulls, they straighten themselves out quite nicely. Mind you, there are still a few rebels of course."

"Sounds familiar. We weren't too different if you remember," Laren said, grinning at him over Bluebird's back. He laughed.

"Your group was one of the sorriest that I have ever seen."

"Thanks."

"Remember that one fellow from L'Petrie Province who could ride better than anyone I had ever seen, but couldn't walk without tripping over his own feet?"

"William? Gods, he was a mess, but you had to hand it to him, the man was a damn fine Rider."

"That he was? Whatever happened to him?"

"Last I heard he ran his own courier service and had married a baker. Apparently he's still just as clumsy as ever as she's banned him from the kitchens."

Elgin laughed, "Then there was Elena, the spitfire. She couldn't quite compare with you of course."

"She was the spitfire, that was for sure," Laren laughed. "Remember- Remember that time she laid out that Weapon, what was his name?"

"Dylan?"

"Yes Dylan. That time she laid him out in the hall just because he whistled at her?"

Elgin grinned, "I never will forget the look on his face when she hooked his feet out from under him.

Laren joined him on the other side of Bluebird and immediately doubled over in laughter as he imitated the Weapon's surprised face. Bluebird flicked his tail impatiently as the two friends howled with laughter.

Finally Laren was able to straighten up and catch her breath. "There was certainly never a dull moment whenever Elena was around. Charlie was the only one who could tame her it seemed."

"Oh Charlie," Elgin sighed, moving onto Bluebird's tail. "He and Elena made a fine a team. He was one of the finest men to come through the Green Rider Corps in my opinion. Not a mean bone in his body. He could make friends with a damned rock, but when it came to message runs he was one of the fiercest and toughest Riders I ever came across. He would get any message delivered, no matter what the circumstances were.

Laren nodded, "I remember that one time he came back with his arm strapped to his chest in a makeshift sling and his uniform was so bloody and covered with dirt that you could hardly tell that it was green."

"Ah, that message run to one of the border lords. The outlaws hiding there chose the wrong Rider to delay."

Laren nodded in agreement, "That they did."

The pair worked in silence for a few minutes, reflecting back on their own time as Riders. Laren moved on from the dandy brush to the soft brush, running it in long, smooth strokes over Bluebird's coat to get the last of the dirt and dander off. Elgin finished detangling the gelding's tail and moved on to picking out his hooves. Bluebird himself looked like he was in equine bliss as he enjoyed the ministrations of the two humans.

They finished grooming the gelding and Laren gave her horse another peppermint as they left the stall. He took it from her and crunched it happily.

"I really needed this," she said stroking Bluebird's nose.

"You know what else you really need?" Elgin asked her.

Laren glanced at him, still petting Bluebird. "What else might I need?"

"A good stiff drink, I propose we move this conversation down to the Cock and Hen."

Laren grinned, "That's a proposal I'll agree to. Just like old times eh?"

"Just like old time," he agreed.

Laren laughed and gave Bluebird one last pat before the pair left the stables and headed down towards the city.

**A/N: As always I would love to know what you think. Please leave me a message after this note~ Naomi**


	6. Hide and Seek

A**/N: And I'm back! Both back on FanFic and back in the States. :) I swear I can't write a thing for at least a month after finals it seems. It also doesn't help that I discovered the show Flashpoint around finals time and may or may not have become mildly obsessed by it... Anyways, here's a Tegan and Garth piece for your reading pleasure. As always I had a blast writing these two. DISCLAIMER: Any thing, one, or place that you may recognize belongs solely to Kristen Britain. Sadly I can claim nothing except the plot.**

Hide and Seek

Prompt: A plot bunny that popped into my head

After a stressful week of moving into the new Rider wing, a flurry of message runs, and preparations for the upcoming royal wedding, the members of the Green Rider Messenger Corps were taking a well-deserved afternoon off. They had been sitting around in the common room when someone suggested an impromptu game of hide and seek. The idea was met with great enthusiasm, particularly by Garth and Tegan. Garth thought it was a great idea. He and his siblings had played the game constantly when they were growing up. He was so far undefeated, although Tegan was determined to change that. So far he had eluded her and planned to continue to do so. He loved teasing her about it and seeing her get all riled up. She considered as a very personal affront that she had yet to catch him.

The game was quickly arranged with only two rules. First, you could only hide within the Rider wing and second, any space in the Rider wing was fair game. Tegan was chosen as the first Seeker and all twenty Riders scattered to hide as soon as she closed her eyes and started counting.

Garth ran out in the hall, trying to think of a place to hide that was large enough for him to fit in. He went trotting down the hallway before finally remembering a giant wardrobe they had installed earlier in the week in Tegan's quarters. He grinned. That would be the last place anyone would look for him, especially Tegan.

He pushed the door to her room open and immediately spotted the massive piece of Cherry wood furniture squatting against the far wall. He could hear Tegan's countdown coming to a close as he strode across the room and opened the door. Except for a fresh uniform, it was completely empty. Garth folded himself inside and closed the doors just as Tegan cried out, "Ready or not here I come!" Garth grinned and shifted to a more comfortable position as he waited.

He could hear calls of "Found you!" or "No fair!" echoing down the corridor. He wondered how long it would take Tegan to find all twenty Riders. The longer Garth sat in the dark, quiet confines of the wardrobe, the more he began to realize how tired he was. He'd had a long night with Yates at the Cock and Hen and then spent this morning helping with the renovation efforts in the Rider wing. His eyelids were beginning to grow heavy.

"Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a bit until someone comes to get me," he said with a stifled yawn. Within seconds he was sound asleep.

Tegan and her fellow Riders were baffled. Garth seemed to have vanished into thin air, which was a pretty good fate for a man of his stature and size. She knew he claimed to be a hide and seek champion back home, but this? This was impressive.

They had searched the Rider wing for over an hour looking for him before finally giving up, guessing that he would show up eventually. Tegan figured he must have fallen asleep wherever he was hiding. He had looked pretty tired earlier. She shook her head at her friend as she entered her room to retire for the night. After returning from a message run last night and helping move furniture and such this morning she was bushed.

Once she was in her room she shrugged off her overcoat and carried it over to her new wardrobe. Tegan wondered what Garth had been thinking, placing this monstrosity in her room. She didn't own enough clothes to fill even a third of the hulking wardrobe. She tugged the door open and promptly shrieked as a large, distinctly human shaped object tumbled out of the wardrobe with an undignified yelp.

Tegan was bowled over and found herself on the cold stone floor of her room, pinned underneath Garth himself. The big goof had hidden himself in her wardrobe. He looked at her with a surprised expression that was probably a mirror of her own before one of his characteristic lop-sided grins slowly crept across his face.

"So did I win?"

Tegan slapped his arm as her heart rate slowed back to normal. "Of course you won you great oaf! The game ended hours ago, which you would've known if you hadn't been dead to the world inside my wardrobe," she informed him. "Now get off me before I suffocate!"

She felt him chuckle deep in his chest as she pushed himself up so that he was kneeling and then got to his feet. He offered her a hand and pulled her up to her feet. Tegan dusted herself off and escorted her friend to the door. She still couldn't believe that he had been hiding in her wardrobe of all places the entire time. She was kicking herself for not thinking of it earlier. He was good, she had to hand it to him.

"Goodnight Garth," she said opening the door for him and motioning the way out.

"Goodnight Tegan," he said stepping out into the corridor. He turned back to her with a cheeky grin plastered on his face, "Oh, by the way, you still haven't caught me yet."

Tegan stuck her tongue out at him before slamming the door in his face. She could hear his bellowing laughter following him down the corridor.

**A/N: Alright people, I know it's been a while, but as always I would love to know what you think. Leave me a message after this note. Thanks!~Naomi**


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